The Latinx Club hosted a spirit week during the week of Oct. 7 to increase awareness around Hispanic Heritage Month and to create community bonds within the club. The spirit days were all-white outfits on Monday, jersey day on Tuesday, face painting day on Wednesday and cultural accessories and Latinx Club sweatshirts day on Friday.
Co-president and junior Nico Liteplo said these events are important because they celebrate the Latino community. As a soccer player, Liteplo’s favorite spirit day was jersey day.
“You see someone in the hallway also wearing a jersey and we’re able to connect through that [interaction],” Liteplo said. “This club means a lot to a lot of people, and I think it’s a special thing, especially during this month.”
Club co-president Paragiri said the club members were all very involved and came up with the idea of the spirit week together. They wanted to create an event that was easy for everyone to participate in and bonded the members of the club. They came up with different ideas for each day and had a rationale behind each. For example, for cultural accessories, Paragiri said she hoped everyone could bring in an important object to teach others about themselves and their families.
“I think it’s really fun because sometimes people travel, and they go back to their home countries, and they bring back little things that are really meaningful and really connect them to who they are,” Paragiri said.
According to Paragiri, the club provides a space for community members to come together around their shared culture.
“It’s important to recognize that these people are here, that a lot of them come from countries for either better life or they don’t know the language here and they’re trying to find a community they feel comfortable in,” Paragiri said.
The community that the club provides is crucial in welcoming new students like senior and club member Eric Ogren. Ogren said he has had a positive time joining the club and believes that the spirit week is important, especially during Hispanic Heritage Month.
“Hispanic people historically in the U.S. have been a disenfranchised community, and it’s important for us as Hispanic people to come together and we can share our culture within ourselves but with the wider American community,” Ogren said.
According to Paragiri, it’s important to recognize Hispanic Heritage Month to put more emphasis on the Latinx community at the high school.
“I definitely met a lot of people that also have a similar cultural background, and I think that coming to the club, it’s made me feel a lot more comfortable in this space,” Paragiri said. “Highlighting the month and highlighting the parts of it really brings visibility to a lot of the community.”
